A new eBay listing claims to be a Contempora trumpet (large bore, with first-valve trigger — model 40L) with a serial number of 21527. The previous oldest Contempora model I had in my records was 25594. The previous oldest Contempora trumpet had been SN 32558!
Based on my serial number research, 4000 horns could be a difference of two years or so. I’ve been working off the trademark application for the Contempora brand, which claimed May 1949 as the “first use” date of the Contempora name. I’d loosely associated 25000 with 1949 – however, this horn could push serial number 21000 out to 1949, or it could be mean that the Contempora name was used as early as 1946, despite the trademark application.
The latter presents other problems, as I’d determined that SN 22,000 was roughly the time that Reynolds was sold – or more accurately, was the time that Reynolds instruments underwent a variety of design changes – changes that I’d associated with the ownership change. The Contempora trumpet on eBay has features that would indicate a post-sale design – specifically the flat bottom valve caps.
The likely conclusion is that the design changes occurred later than 1946/47 and perhaps closer to the 1949 date. In this case, the Emperor models (c.1947) would have been the first to roll off the production line with the new toolings.